A change of fortune
by electricheartz
Summary: In which Austin has been having the worst luck this week, gets trapped in an elevator with a stranger and has a panic attack. Luckily the kind stranger is there to help him get through it. ONE-SHOT


**'A change of fortune'**

 **Summary: In which Austin has been having the worst luck this week, gets trapped in an elevator with a stranger and has a panic attack. Luckily the kind stranger is there to help him get through it.**

 **Triggers (just to be safe): mentions of panic attacks**

* * *

Austin's week was not going well so far.

His assistant had spilled his coffee on a few important documents (he was fired immediately), and he found out his (now ex) girlfriend of three months was cheating on him. He was surprised that he wasn't as upset as he had expected – they _did_ start off as "friends with benefits" before actually dating.

And after finding bird droppings on his (expensive) car, he didn't think that his week could possibly become any worse.

Austin was in the elevator pondering about whether hiring the new assistant was a good idea (considering the reliability of his last three) when a slight jolt broke him out of his train of thoughts. He noticed the elevator had stopped moving. He tried pressing the button that opened the door, but the door would not shift.

Well, _shit_. It seemed things really could become worse.

He checked his phone, but to his luck, the battery was flat. _Great._ He must have forgotten to charge it last night.

He turned to his right, and attempted to seek help using the emergency phone. It was useless though, because there was no reply.

 _Urgh_ , he was going to fire whoever was managing these elevators...as soon as he got out of here.

Out of all the different unfortunate things that could happen to him, why did it have to be this? He knew he didn't cope well in small places for long. This stemmed from a _specific_ incident from high school…

He forced himself to remain calm.

At least for _now_.

Austin heard cursing next to him, but never turned to look at the other person, too busy with his own thoughts. The lights in the elevator still worked, so he hoped the elevator would be up and running again soon.

Very soon.

"It's okay. We won't be here for long," he muttered to himself.

But it seemed fate liked to mess with Austin, because suddenly the lights in the elevator went out. The humid atmosphere wasn't helping either. A feeling a terror spread across him as his mind processed his predicament. He could practically feel his heart beating out of his chest.

This scene became all too familiar with his past experience.

And that was when Austin had started to panic.

"Help! Is anyone out there? Someone help!" He started to bang on his side of the wall and pushed the floor buttons randomly.

He was soon raising his voice.

"Let me out! Come on!" he growled.

He knew at the back of his mind that it obviously wasn't going to help, but Austin wasn't thinking straight at that very moment. Only one thought was on his mind: he needed to get out of here fast, and he was willing to do anything.

No reply came, and Austin just wanted to cry.

When he realised that he wasn't making any progress, Austin ceased his shouting and slid down to the ground in defeat, pulling his knees to his chest. He started slowly rocking back and forth, trying to calm himself down. His tears were threatening to fall any moment now.

His mind was bringing him back to that day. He was starting to have difficulty breathing.

 _The school day had just ended and Austin was about to leave to enjoy his mid-semester break. He found himself suddenly pushed into the janitor's closet by an unseen force. "Hah, that'll teach him to stand up to me," he heard a voice snigger._

 _Ah, so it was that airheaded senior. The giggles in response told Austin that the perpetrator wasn't alone. He tried to open the door, but it would not budge._

He remembered being fine at first.

" _It's okay. He'll let me out soon. Don't worry, Austin." he reassured himself._

He remembered the hysterical laughter from the bastard who locked him there.

" _You can stay in there, pretty boy. Next time, mind your own business." Suddenly the laughter and other noises disappeared, and he was left with an empty silence._

He remembered the loneliness he had experienced.

 _Austin felt around for the light switch, sighing in relief when he found it. He flicked the switch… but darkness still engulfed him. It seemed the light was broken…_

The fear that he would never get out.

 _He was terrified. An eerie quietness surrounded him. He wasn't sure anyone would still be in school on a Friday afternoon, especially since the break had officially started. What if no one heard him? What if he was stuck in here for days? Weeks? Months?_

The relief after being found.

 _It was three hours before Austin saw daylight again; luckily someone had heard his cries for help. They had found him in a mess, eyes red and swollen from crying._

The bastard who trapped him was expelled, but that didn't stop the nightmares that came afterwards.

It had taken a while, but the nightmares stopped later that year, and he eventually recovered. He just made sure to stay clear from the janitor closets.

That was almost 8 years ago.

While he never forgot that very day, the memories came back harder than ever. Austin didn't expect his panic attacks to follow him into his adulthood. He was certain that he was hyperventilating at this moment. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but that fear of being alone was coming ba-

The blond was interrupted by a comforting voice. "Hey, calm down, you're gonna be okay. You're not alone."

Austin looked up and came face to face with a petite girl, probably around his age. He quickly wiped at his eyes before his tears could fall, embarrassed that this girl was witnessing his weak side.

He watched as the girl slid down to his level.

Now that he'd looked up, it seemed as if the walls were closing on him.

"I n-need to g-get out! Please..." he pleaded, eyebrows furrowed in distress. Screw his dignity at that moment. Austin just wanted to get out. No, he _needed_ to get out.

"Hey, shhh, we'll get out of here soon. I promise you," she assured him, "but for now, we need to control your breathing."

Looking straight in his troubled eyes, her soothing voice spoke, "I want you to breathe with me, deep breaths, okay?"

He couldn't do it. He didn't think he knew how to at that moment.

"No! N-not enough- not enough oxygen!" he put his hand on his chest, as he struggled to inhale any air.

"There's plenty of oxygen in here, you just need to relax."

"I-I can't-" Austin began, before being interrupted by the girl.

"Yes you can," she reassured him. She grabbed a hold of his free hand, squeezing it firmly for support. He squeezed back tightly, missing her slight wince.

"Breathe in slowly," he followed her example as she took in a huge gulp of breath and raised her shoulders in exaggeration, "and now breathe out."

He exhaled slowly as she did, feeling somewhat better.

She continued to guide him with his breathing, until his breathing had gone back to normal.

"Are you alright now?" the girl asked with a small smile.

"Y-yeah, I think so," he returned the smile.

Suddenly the lights were back on.

"Can you check if the door can be opened?" Austin asked anxiously. Sure the lights were back, but he wouldn't be completely calm until he got out.

The girl stood up, letting go of Austin's hand. Austin suppressed a groan at the loss of the comforting touch.

He observed as she pressed the buttons, shaking her head as the door wouldn't budge.

"It won't open," she said as she turned around.

Austin sighed internally; how long would they be trapped in here?

"Hey, you're sweating…" Austin realised she was right. He hadn't noticed in his panic, but now that she had mentioned it, he felt the beads of sweat running down his face, and some of his hair sticking to his face. She came over to him, taking out a white handkerchief from her pocket.

"Here..." using her handkerchief, the brunette proceeded to pat gently on his temples to get rid of the sweat. Austin looked at her as she did this, his eyes never leaving her face. He gazed at her, taking in the features of her face, admiring her velvety brown orbs and her alluring lips. She didn't seem to notice, too concentrated on the task at hand.

Austin wasn't going to lie, he completely forgot about his ex-girlfriend in that moment; this girl was beautiful – not just superficially, he believed – and maybe after they got out of here, he could ask her-

A creak was heard, interrupting his thoughts. The brunette broke apart from Austin, turning towards the source of the sound.

The elevator door had opened.

A man in a janitor uniform appeared on the other side. "Everything all right here?" The two stood up from the ground dusting themselves off.

Austin caught sight of the digital clock across the hallway. It turns out they'd only been in the elevator for around 30 minutes.

Austin spoke up. "I think we're fine now."

"Yeah," the brunette agreed, smiling at the janitor before looking at her watch.

Her face fell, a state of alarm taking over. "Oh no, I'm late for my meeting! I need to go!"

"See you around, maybe?" She flashed a sweet smile at Austin before rushing off.

"Hey, miss, wait!" Austin called out to her, she didn't stop.

"Sorry, but I really need to go!" She yelled over her head.

"But I-" he tried to continue, but she disappeared around the corner, out of his sight.

"Never mind..." Austin murmured.

He didn't even get to know her name.

More importantly, he didn't get to thank her for saving him.

* * *

After reassuring the janitor that he was fine, Austin trudged to his office (forget the elevators, he decided he'd take the stairs for a while), still thinking about the girl. Her smile was ingrained in his mind. He wondered whether he would see her again. Did she work in the same building as him? How then, had he not noticed her before? He knew most of his father's employees.

He sat at his desk chair, spinning it around to face the window. He leaned back, closing his eyes. It was only 10am, yet it had felt like hours had gone by.

His door opened.

Gloria, the main office lady and someone Austin considered family, decided it was a good time to interrupt his thoughts.

"Austin, dear, you've got a visitor. She said she was here as the new assistant?"

Right.

While preoccupied with being stuck in the elevator, he had completely forgotten that he had to meet with the new assistant. He hoped this one wouldn't be as clumsy as his previous one.

He groaned.

"Okay. Let her through."

"This one's a keeper, Austin. I just know you'll be satisfied with her. She's even got some nurses training, so she can help you with anything…" Gloria had known about his past incident.

"I'll be fine, Gloria."

His eyes were still closed when light footsteps were heard as someone entered the room.

"...uhh, hi Mr Moon, sorry that I'm late! I got stuck in this elevator and then I got lost trying to find your room, but _anyway_ , you probably already know- I mean, of course you know, but I mean- yeah I'm your new assistant, Ally Dawson!"

Wait.

Austin opened his eyes.

She sounded familiar.

Could it be...?

Austin turned his chair around to look at his new assistant properly. She was still rambling nervously, eyes on the ground, when he saw her face. His eyes widened in recognition. She finally looked up from the ground to face him.

A gasp left Ally's mouth. "Y-you! You're Mr Moon?"

He flashed her a smile. "Yep."

"Well, umm, I promise I'll do my best in this position...and I'll try _not_ to s-spill coffee on your important documents!" He thought it was cute how nervous she was.

"Huh, I bet Gloria told you about the last assistant then?" Ally nodded shyly at his question.

Then, there was an awkward silence. Austin was trying to find the right words to thank her for earlier.

"...well, umm, I don't start until tomorrow, so I'll be leaving you to your work now...tell me when you need anything…" Ally started to turn the door knob. Austin abruptly stood up from his chair.

"Wait!" This time, she stopped at her tracks and turned around to face him.

"I just wanted to say thank you. You know, for uhh, helping me in the elevator. I wasn't in my, uh…b-best state, so I appreciate how you helped me get through it." He smiled at her sheepishly, slightly embarrassed about the recent situation.

She flashed him another sweet smile, like the one he'd seen after they'd come out of the elevator.

"You're welcome, Mr Moon. I'll be happy to help you any time."

She opened the door, but Austin stopped her once again.

"One more thing, Ally. Please, call me Austin. Oh, and…umm, well this might be a bit forward considering we've only just met, but would you like to have coffee with me sometime?"

She hesitated for a second, before slowing nodding her head. "I think I'd like that, Austin."

He caught the blush on her cheeks before she closed the door behind her.

Austin leaned back into his chair, sighing in satisfaction.

Maybe his week wasn't so horrible after all.

* * *

 **Ah, I hope that was alright? It's around 2:30am where I am now, and I should have been studying for end-term tests but I just needed to post this!**

 **I've been wanting to write a multi-chapter story, but I can't seem to find the right time while having school commitments...hmm, you probably won't see me on here for a long time, unless I try writing another one or two shot ;)**

 **Anyway, I hope this story wasn't too bad, hehe.**

 **I hope you all have a nice day!**

 **~Helene**


End file.
